Kizuna Ultimate Image Figures Announced with Kenji Watanabe Artwork

[MarcFBR]

Premium Bandai has put up a teaser page for the 3rd Ultimate Image release.




Alongside that is Kenji Watanabe artwork of Agumon Bonds of Courage and Gabumon Bonds of Friendship, the new evolutions from Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. The new figures are almost certainly 3d versions of this new art, so it's a nice teaser for the figures.




Them mention pre-orders will begin soon, and part of the goal was to have these figures ready to go pretty fast for people to be able to play with the 3d versions of the new Digimon.

They also show off separate versions of the art.



They also include some Kizuna related text we've seen a few times:

For all the children who walk with Digimon.

This is our last evolution!



Previous Ultimate Image figures have been Omegamon: Merciful Mode and Omegamon X. The Ultimate Image figures were nicer and larger versions of the previous Capsule Mascot Collection figures.

 

[Amandil7]

I hope all this art helps people open up to these designs, because the reactions so far have been mixed at best. I personally don't mind them.

 

[Sparrow Hawk]

Actually I think anime artstyle made them look bad. But with artworks made them completely appreciated for now. In fact this new update news made me accept them despite weird names.
Agumon Bond got Meicrackmon gauntlets and Strabimon scarf made him quite looking good.
Gabumon Bond is no different than MetalGarurumon X but Skynet backpack and Sub-Machine guns are actually awesome now! Although Z'dGarurumon came first with guns replaced from missiles...

Hope they come in the highest quality.

 

[Amandil7]

I agree, art style makes a huge difference. These will do well to smooth over some of the opposition lol. The artwork on the cards also looked great! I wanna see more of these guys.

 

[Ragnalord]

I actually like them now, especially here, beautiful.

 

[Muur]

I hope all this art helps people open up to these designs, because the reactions so far have been mixed at best. I personally don't mind them.

They look better in their Bandai art at least.

this seems to be a trend now lol, suck in their 3d model or in their anime appearence etc, but then look fine in their art.

 

[Deep Saver]

Yeah, these two are fine in their official art. I rather like them in this style but the Kizuna look did them zero favors.

 

[Bancho]

I feel like I understand their designs a lot better now.
With the anime stills, it went over my head that Gabumon Bonds had turbine wings (a reference to its wind themes and possibly Gaogamon) and Agumon Bonds has claws that reference the Dramon Killers which are both probably the most key visual details. Even though it might be my fault for not noticing, I still feel like the first impression kind of failed me when it came to recognizing key aspects

 

[Paruseruru mafubu]

I agree with Sparrow Hawk, the anime art style from the film wasn't doing it for me at all but this artwork here is very impressive actually.

 

[Nightwing]

What’s funny is I actually don’t like the designs in this art at all, but maybe it’s just resolution and stuff making it look so grainy and awkward. While I liked seeing them in animation, I also didn’t like the look at the animation design either. I’m imagining the new figures will look amazing though lol. The Battle Spirits art still remains king for now, I guess, but all Battle Spirits art has been great anyways.

What I do appreciate is how well the art shows off how these two will be fighting. Like it was obvious from the start that the forearms on Agumon are basically Dramon Killers are like melded into his body, but seeing them with the claws extended so clearly is great to highlight that capability.

 

[DragonicEmperor]

With the official art, I actually like the Gabumon form. It looks like MetalGarurumon if it kept WereGarurumon's physique.

The Agumon is still horrendous though.

 

[Mugenlazlo]

Why didn't the other six Adventure partners get forms like those?

 

[YongYoKyo]

Why didn't the other six Adventure partners get forms like those?

The same reason they didn't get neither their Ultimates until Tri, nor an Omegamon-parallel. They're not the partners of the main protagonist and the deuteragonist.

Also, it would be overkill to introduce 8+ distinct, separate evolutions within a single movie. Can you imagine if the Adventure partners all achieved Ultimate-level within the very first Tri movie?

 

[Sparrow Hawk]

Why didn't the other six Adventure partners get forms like those?

This...
But that's Japan for you. Main characters always have one level+ beyond power up. :/

 

[Unknown Neo]

Those are crazy! Kind of cool but really crazy. Nice to see them in full though.

 

[Sparrow Hawk]

With the official art, I actually like the Gabumon form. It looks like MetalGarurumon if it kept WereGarurumon's physique.

The Agumon is still horrendous though.

I'd imagine if Agumon grew muscles so strong enough to transform into meaty muscle suit. Why not take another look at his 3D model at least?

 

[Vaioumon]

That does help their designs. Still not great, but looking at them this way doesn't repulse me like the hyper human face close-ups in Kizuna.

 

[BlankShell]

I suppose Ultimate Image figures are better than GEM, and I like the symmetry they'll have with Merciful Mode. But man I wish there were some more articulated things...

 

[sirtao]

they aren't bad design by themselves... but they are utterly inadequate for being the "bonds evolution" of Adventure Agumon and Gabumon.
I cannot see anything linking those design to Agumon&Gabumon's Adventure lines, nor to Taichi and Yamato.

 

[Nightwing]

they aren't bad design by themselves... but they are utterly inadequate for being the "bonds evolution" of Adventure Agumon and Gabumon.
I cannot see anything linking those design to Agumon&Gabumon's Adventure lines, nor to Taichi and Yamato.

Their entire designs are consolidations of previous forms.

The Agumon has a WarGreymon or Omegamon-style helmet with Greymon’s brown colour returning, the purple scarves reference MetalGreymon’s wings, there’s literally versions of the Dramon Killers on it’s arms, the shins and overall musculature is based on WarGreymon, the tail seems to be a reference to Omegamon’s Grey Sword, the neon lines might be a reference to Omegamon Merciful Mode, etc.

it’s the same with the Gabumon, as soon as you start there’s no real end to how many connections you can make.